Localisation of Function in the Brain | AQA GCSE Psychology Revision Notes 2019

The motor & somatasensory areas

Localisation of function (LOF) is the theory that specific behaviours/skills/functions are controlled by specific regions of the brain e.g. the hippocampus has been strongly implicated in the processing of memory
LOF assumes that there is a biological basis to behaviour i.e. the brain controls every aspect of what we do
It can be measured using techniques such as MRI, fMRI and PET scanning
The brain is divided into two hemispheres, left and right and is covered by a thin layer known as the cerebral cortex
As each hemisphere is responsible for different functions then each lobe - and the areas it contains - is also responsible for different functions too

Function of the motor area/cortex:

It is located in the frontal lobe
It is primarily responsible for movement
It is hemispheric:
- damage to the right motor area (in the right hemisphere) would result in impaired movement on the left side of the body (and vice versa)

Function of the somatosensory area/cortex:

It is located in the parietal lobe
It receives messages from neurons all over the body containing information about environmental stimuli e.g. heat, cold, pain
It controls how we feel sensations via touch/contact
Damage to this area would mean that someone becomes less sensitive to pain or changes in temperature

The visual, auditory & language areas

Function of the visual area/cortex:

It is located in the occipital lobe
It is responsible for:
- sight
  - It decodes visual information sent from the eyes and turns it into forms that can be used to navigate and interpret the environment (the process of sight, in other words)
- The left visual field sends information to the left hemisphere and vice versa
Damage to the visual area may cause blindness/sight impairment

Function of the auditory area/cortex:

It is located in the temporal lobe
It is responsible for auditory processing e.g. hearing
Damage to this area may result in hearing loss/impairment

Function of the language area/cortex:

It is located in the temporal lobe
Most language functions (speech and comprehension) are located in the left hemisphere
Damage to Broca’s area is likely to result in difficulty producing speech
Damage to Wernicke’s area is likely to result in difficulty understanding language

Exam Tip

You will only ever be asked to identify or describe/explain the function of specific brain areas, however you may get an AO3 (evaluation) question linked to this topic e.g. on brain-imaging technologies which could be used, say to determine speech impairment. This is why you need to make sure that you understand how each part of this topic relates to the other parts.

Research which investigates localisation of function in the brain

Maguire et al. (2000) found that spatial navigation may be localised to the hippocampus
Raine et al. (1997) found that executive functioning may be localised to the prefrontal cortex

Worked example

Here is an example of a question you might be asked on this topic - for AO2.

AO2: You need to apply your knowledge and understanding, usually referring to the ‘stem’ in order to do so (the stem is the example given before the question)

After each featured question there is a ‘model’ answer i.e. one which would achieve top marks in the exam.

Jimmy has been experiencing some difficulties with speech production. The only word he can produce is ‘fandabbydozy’ in response to any question or comment.

Question: With reference to the localisation of function in the brain, explain why Jimmy is experiencing this speech disorder. [3]

Model answer:

Jimmy may have suffered damage to his temporal lobe, specifically the auditory area.
The damage is likely to be in the left hemisphere, specifically Broca’s area.
Damage to Broca’s area results in the inability to produce coherent speech i.e. Broca’s patient ‘Tan’ could only produce the one-syllable word ‘Tan’ (hence his name).
Thus, Jimmy’s ability to produce only one word - ‘fandabbydozy’ - indicates Broca’s area damage.

Localisation of Function in the Brain (AQA GCSE Psychology)

Revision Note